Attention to community and green space, making use of
complete street design and traffic calming features, as well as rerouting future
development to the north and west via Headley Drive, are the main features of the Ada Township Downtown
Development Authority's redesign of Ada village.

The design team unveiled the plan to a group of about 100 residents on Friday and today the DDA released a graphic showing the details.

"When I saw the design plan on Friday, I was extremely
pleased with what I saw," said DDA Chairman Robert Kullgren. "The whole
experience was pretty intense, as the design team lists translated into an
actual plan for the village. I believe that we can accomplish all that Ada needs badly to become a more
walkable, bike-able, and successful destination as well as a great place to
live."

The official plan will now undergo the scrutiny of the DDA and
ultimately the Township Board before any actual changes are made
in the village.

The plan defines how streets will be designed to be best used by
vehicles, bikes, and pedestrians; how traffic will flow; where community spaces,
including parking, will be located; where events such as the farmers market, a possible amphitheater, and
community building will be situated; and where are the best locations for future businesses
and residential development.

One of the most significant changes is the street layout, with Headley
becoming the main thoroughfare through the village, "with businesses
gradually moving northward and westward, said Kullgren.

The only traffic on Ada Drive will then
be motorists traveling north or south to turn on to Headley. The plan also calls for a drive along the riverfront, and Thornapple
River Drive is expected to have "a lot less traffic."

Moving the traffic flow to Headley accomplishes a number of
goals discussed through the lengthy public design forum process, including
easier access to the Village Green (which has been used for years for township
events) as well as space for a new farmers market on the right and a future
community building on the left.

Public questions have been raised about additional
residential space in the village. According to the design plan, the area,
commonly known as the "Gilmore property" near the Lake Michigan Credit Union, is
reserved for new future residential development.

Another concern from the public has been what will happen to
the Thornapple River Shopping Center tenants. "The reality of that is nothing
at this time," said Kullgren.

As business gradually is routed up Headley Street, businesses will likely
follow naturally. As they transition out of the center and into the new community,
the idea is that new businesses facing the newly created drive along the Thornapple
River front will likely follow, said the designers.

"That will only happen if
current business owners believe in the concept and see themselves in a new spot
in the community," said Kullgren.

Additionally there are other "new streets" planned off
Fulton into the village that would give Amway employees easier access to the
community, possibly also encouraging businesses to relocate further west.

The plan identifies a common green space in the center of the village, potentially located
where the Ada Drive gas station is now. That space, as well as the public space along the riverfront, will "honor what historically was known as
The Grove, where an annual 'Old Settlers' Picnic was held, according to historic
records. In addition, the plan shows where an amphitheater would go, if there
is enough public demand for one.

The design shows a location for a
pedestrian bridge across the Thornapple River. "That is designed to connect the
village with Ada Moorings, but there are a lot of hurdles to cross yet before
that can happen," said Kullgren.

The design team identified five or six possible phases to
the redesign of Ada village, but "we still need to put our heads together to
understand what a real phasing plan would look like," said Kullgren. "It is a
multi-year thing and our hope is that early phases are successful and received
as what the community wants, so that we can move forward to the next phase."

The earliest changes that residents may see are traffic
calming measures, including round-a-bouts on Fulton Street, new streets near the
Amway eastern entrance, and transformation of existing streets to include
striping for easier bike and pedestrian use.